Circoanalysis: Circus, Therapy and Psychoanalysis

Published by DOCH's own press, Circoanalysis: Circus, Therapy and Psychoanalysis is the final thesis of the PhD John-Paul Zaccarini undertook at the university.

'There is an object/artefact of circus and a subject/process that makes it. This research considers the subject of the circus-making in order to bring it to the foreground of future discussions about pedagogy, practice and production. If the shift from Traditional to New Circus brought with it changes in circus edu-cation – the incorporation of theatre and dance – then the shift to what is being called Contemporary Circus may also need a more refined set of tools to facilitate its creative growth. This thesis sets out how psychoanalytic theories can be adapted and its key practices adopted to bring about this shift from New to Contemporary Circus in pedagogic practice, with the development of a new practice: Circoanalysis.'

Sideshow is a magazine and website that promotes, records and thinks about contemporary circus.

Sideshow's current major projects include Deconstructing Circus, a series of 30 focused interviews with 30 circus artists and directors, and What is Contemporary Circus?, a five-part entry level introduction to the artform.